Convert Windows Server 2016 to a Workstation

Welcome to Win2016Workstation.com

This manual will guide you through the process of configuring your Windows Server 2016 so it can be used as a day-to-day operating system.

Windows Server 2016 comes into 2 different editions (Datacenter & Standard) – either of which can be used as a mainstream desktop. In this guide we will use the Standard edition, however all instructions are the same. Microsoft offer a 180 day evaluation ISO which can be downloaded via the Windows Server Download Page, you can obtain a license using a Microsoft Imagine (formerly Dreamspark) account and of course you can go and purchase it. Please feel free to ask any questions or share ideas in our comments sections at the bottom of each page.

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If you need Memory Compression enabled you need to launch Powershell and type in there : Enable-MMAgent -mc because Memory Compression is disabled by default

Also for Flash Player in IE if you want to use other programs like XSplit you need to enable Flash Player for IE… To do this you need to launch CMD in Admin and type in there : dism /online /add-package /packagepath:”CWindowsservicingPackagesAdobe-Flash-For-Windows-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.14393.0.mum”. Then reboot your computer and Get the Flash Player Update from Windows Update. Once this is done double check at the Adobe Flash Player website

Those 2 things are mostly what was missed in the guide and could be pretty much useful in your Server Installation

Microsoft has three development models for Windows 10 and Server 2016:
Current Branch: Gets new features almost constantly – but things can go wrong, meaning more updates.
Current Branch for Business: Businesses can “slow down” the addition of features so things are less likely to break
Long Term Service Branch: No new features will ever be added, so things are extremely unlikely to go wrong.

Microsoft of course want your to use the CB, but Windows Server 2016 is classed as an LTSB* edition of Windows as Microsoft doesn’t want updates and apps to constantly download – potentially compromising your ICT system.

Cortana and Edge don’t even appear in the LTSB edition of Windows 10, likewise – not in Windows Server 2016**.

I (and others I believe) are trying to pinch the store and Edge files from a “normal” edition of Windows 10 and inject them into Server 2016. This is a mammoth task so I might put a post on the Facebook page asking if anybody has any ideas as I am finding it quite hard at the moment.

We’ll get there (hopefully).

Ironically that is actually one thing that makes Windows Server 2016 such a good performing desktop, unfortunately at the expense of functionality to an extent.

I don’t think it’s dead in the water – it will just take time and any help from anybody would be great

I have installed Server 2016 Datacenter in my laptop. ( A Lenovo W540 with 32Gb of RAM and a 1T SSD ).
Everything seems to be fine. All drivers from Lenovo work just fine and I even have Bluetooth working.
There is still one thing I could not make work: System Restore Points. Do you know if there is a way to make System Restore Points to work in Server 2016 ?
Thank you very much

Autologin: I am also using autologin:
WIN+R -> to open Run
netplwiz
Look for the “Users” tab and uncheck the box next to “Users must enter a username and password to use this computer.”
Press Apply and you will be asked to enter the password for the selected user, enter the password, press ok and restart to verify if Autologin works.

Please let us know if you can get the touch and stylus working properly on 2016. I want to switch to server but I use a portable stylus and touch screen display for drawing. This display is a chinese crowd funded device, uses the actual ms surface pen purchased separately, and the ms drivers. If you can get touch and stylus working on your surface pro 3, then I will know that it should be workable on my display too.

If anyone else has any further insight on ms touch/stylus support in server 2016, please do tell.